Top Five Foodie Reasons to Love Winter

Freezing temperatures have returned to the coastal plains of Texas. A rather strange twist, considering I just saw my first bluebonnets on Friday.

But since I appreciate the cold weather, and wither at the thought of summer being just on the horizon, I thought I would celebrate some of my favorite cold weather dishes. Simply click on the names for the recipes.

At the top of my cold-weather comfort food list would be Chicken and Dumplings.

My girls' great grandmother shared this recipe with me when I was a young bride. Not only was it the first homemade chicken and dumplings I'd ever had, it was the first time I'd had dumplings that weren't giant Bisquick biscuits. It was love at first bite. Ever since then, it's been my first go-to whenever cold weather sets in.

Next on my list would be Loaded Baked Potato Soup.

I think this picture pretty much says it all.

Number three has to be good old fashioned Chicken Noodle Soup.

Loaded with chicken and veggies, not to mention legendary healing properties, this soup is a delicious treat on any cold day.

Another chart-topper would be Beef Stew.

This is a sorry picture, but the meal is to die for. A bowl of hot beef stew with a slice (or two) of fresh-baked bread... That's the stuff dreams are made of.

Last, but definitely not least, is Southwest Chicken Soup.

This soup is not only flavorful, it's a crockpot meal, meaning you can toss everything together in the morning and work or play right up until dinnertime. 

As I said at the beginning of my post, we are having a late-winter freeze here in Texas. The good thing is that it never lasts for long. We'll be back in the 70s by this weekend and next week we're planning to plant our spring flowers. I know that's hard to imagine when you're still looking at piles of snow. But spring will come.

In the meantime, what are some of your favorite cold-weather meals?

Three-time Carol Award finalist Mindy Obenhaus lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband, the youngest of her five children and two dogs. She's passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. When she's not writing, she enjoys cooking and spending time with her grandchildren. Learn more at mindyobenhaus.com. 

January in the Black Hills = Chili

Jan here, shivering in the Black Hills!

Winter is a mercurial season for us. We live in the "banana belt" of South Dakota - a misnomer, really. I've never seen banana trees here! But while the rest of the state is dealing with blizzards, high winds, and tons of snow, we'll have a day where the temps reach the 50's or even 60's.

Custer State Park on a balmy January day

But don't count on it lasting! Because the weather can change drastically in a matter of a couple hours. You know that saying, "If you don't like the weather, just wait an hour?" We've heard that saying in every location where we've lived...but it's true here.

Another January picture - the group of pine trees
on the left are the same in both pictures.

Spearfish, South Dakota (just a quick jaunt up the highway from us) holds the world record for the fastest temperature change. On January 22, 1943, the temperature changed from -4° to 45° in...wait for it... two minutes!

While we haven't come close to that world record, we often experience huge temperature changes. The National Weather Service explains the 1943 event like this:

"The wild temperature fluctuations were likely due to cold air and warm air sloshing back and forth along the plains at the base of the Black Hills. A similar effect would be to pour warm water into a shallow bowl of cold water. The water would slosh back and forth a few times before settling down. This is likely what happened with the warm and cold air along the Black Hills."

Sunday was another example. Yesterday morning, we woke up to temperatures in the mid-40's with a mild wind from the south. A real "snow-eater," or Chinook. By noon it was 53° and rising. A beautiful sunny day!

But around 3:00 in the afternoon, the wind swung to the Northwest, and we enjoyed(?) winds of 40-50 mph, with gusts up to 70 mph. (We actually lost a piece of trim off the truck during one of those wind gusts!)

With the change in wind direction, we saw a drop in temperatures. From the mid-50's to 25° in twelve hours, and it continued dropping. By this morning, we were in the teens, and the temps aren't going up at all today. Tomorrow is supposed to be even colder.

This is definitely chili weather, so you know what we're having for supper tonight! I'm going to be making one of my favorite chili recipes - Jan's Cowboy Chili. I shared this recipe several years ago, but I think it's time for a refresher. :-)

And don't worry - there's a vegetarian option...as long as you aren't a cowboy!

 
Jan's Cowboy Chili

Start with about 1 1/2 pounds steak. I like to use round steak, or these little chuck steaks.

They're slightly icy in this picture - being slightly frozen makes the meat easier to handle.

Cut the meat into 1/2 inch cubes, and then prepare the marinade.

Marinade ingredients:
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup oil - vegetable or olive
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Mix the marinade ingredients together, and then pour over the cubed meat in a plastic bag or glass bowl. Put it in the refrigerator and let it marinate for at least 30 minutes - an hour or two is better.

After an hour or so, it's time to start cooking the chili.

Drain the marinated meat, reserving the onions and meat.

Brown in a tablespoon of olive oil in a large pot, and then add the rest of the ingredients:

2 cups beef broth
2 cans red beans (drained and rinsed)
1 can (14 oz.) tomato sauce
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
1 teaspoon oregano
2 tablespoons cumin

Let all this simmer, covered, for an hour or two. Or three. Or put it in the crock pot for a half day or so...

*Vegetarian option: Instead of marinating beef, marinate your beans instead. Whether you use canned beans or cook your own, marinate the beans just as you would the meat. Drain and use in the chili. And instead of beef broth, use vegetable broth.


Now, lift the lid and take a whiff. Don't you feel like you're on a cattle drive with the cowboy of your dreams?

So, how is January treating you at your house? We could use some more snow, but other than that, I'm not complaining. I love the cold!

Jan Drexler lives in the Black Hills of South Dakota with her husband and growing family. When she isn't writing, she loves hiking in the Hills or satisfying her cross stitch addiction.

You can find Jan on Facebook, Jan Drexler, author, or her website, Jan Drexler.com.

Winter Comes to North Texas

While much of the United States has been pummeled with storm after winter storm for the past few months, north Texas has steered clear of frozen precipitation. That is, until last week.

First we had sleet, which created an icy mess that kept most area children home from school both Monday and Tuesday. And while the kiddos couldn't really play in it, it was nice to see a little white outside my window. 

Friday, though, we got full blown, fluffy, white snow. I can't tell you how excited this former Michigander was to see those flakes a falling.

Maddie wasn't quite sure what to think at first.

But once she warmed up, she had a grand time.

Naturally, all that cold weather meant cooking lots of warm, hearty meals. 

Things like stew.

You can find that recipe here.

Chili!

That recipe is here. 

And the ever-popular, Loaded Baked Potato Soup.

Recipe here.

Of course, I had to whip up a few of these, too.

Cold weather sure makes for some mighty fine eatin'. Keeps the kitchen nice and warm, too.

The good thing about winter weather in Texas, though, is that it doesn't stick around very long. Now before you go thinking that I'm bragging, just remember there's a trade off. Those who get hammered with snow in February, enjoy July temps somewhere in the upper 70's, maybe 80. Meanwhile, Texan's will be baking in temps upward of 100 degrees.

Which would you rather have?

Spring Salad

What a doozy of a winter this has been!

First we had this:

And then this:

Some more of this:

And plenty of this:

But now we're finally ready for some of this:

Sunshine and visiting the "boys on the hill." Now, this is what I call spring!

And spring means salads galore. Fruit, veggies, more veggies, more fruit....

Here's a simple salad I made for Easter dinner.

Spring Salad

Ingredients:

Spring lettuce mix, or spinach, or a combination

Strawberries

Feta Cheese

Slivered almonds

Raspberry Vinaigrette salad dressing

Throw everything together in a big bowl (amounts according to your taste), and toss well.

Is that easy-peasy, or what?

I used this Maple Grove Farms Sugar Free Raspberry Vinaigrette dressing I buy from Walmart, but any brand would do.

Or you can make your own with a tablespoon of minced onion, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon raspberry flavoring and a few frozen raspberries thrown in for color. Refrigerate for several hours before using.

The salad was scrumptious, and since we were eating with some folks from church at our pastor's home, the company was delightful.

Enjoy your spring days, everyone!

Taco Soup and Cornbread Wars

Well, apparently winter has no desire to leave any time soon. Sunday, north Texas was hit with another round of ice and even thunder sleet. You've heard of thunder snow. Well, we had thunder sleet. Considering temps had been 80+ the two days before the storm hit, it's no wonder. Just another phenomena of nature.

This is a video my son made. You can't see the sleet, but you sure can hear it. Along with some weird breathing. That is not me.

This storm was merely a drop in the bucket compared to the ice storm we had back in December. But boy did the temps plummet. We saw a 50+ degree drop in less than 24 hours and bottomed out somewhere in the mid-teens Monday morning. 

I know this is nothing compared to what much of the nation has endured, but weather like this calls for a steaming hot bowl of something. So I'm going to revisit a recipe I shared on Simple Saturdays, long before I was an official member of the cafe. 

Taco Soup is so easy I could make it with my eyes closed. Although, that might make dicing the onion a bit dangerous. Still...even if you can't cook, you can make taco soup.

Here's what you'll need:

• 2 lbs. ground beef (I sometimes use ground venison. You could also use ground turkey or bison
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 – 4 oz. cans diced green chilies (I cheat and use 1 – 7 oz. can)
• 3 – 15 oz. cans pinto beans (my personal preference is Ranch Style Beans, but if you can’t find them where you live, plain pintos are fine. If you like variety, add two cans of pintos and one of kidney beans)
• 2 – 14 ½  oz. cans golden hominy
• 3 – 14 ½ oz. cans stewed tomatoes (Since my boys don’t like big chunks of tomato I use the petite-cut diced tomatoes, usually one 29 oz. can plus one 14 ½ oz.)
• 1 packet of taco seasoning
• 1 packet Ranch dressing powder mix (If you buy this in the bulk containers like I do, add three tablespoons)
• 1 ½ cups water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Brown ground meat and onion in a large Dutch oven or stock pot and drain off fat.

Add remaining ingredients. No draining, just open, dump and stir.

Can it get much easier?

Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for one hour.

There are two things that go very well with taco soup. Tortilla chips is one, the other is cornbread. My favorite. And since Jan shared her cornbread recipe yesterday, I thought I'd post my no-sugar-added cornbread recipe. The way cornbread ought to be, IMHO. :)

My daughters' great-grandmother taught me how to make this when I was a young bride, and I will be eternally grateful.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place pan in oven while preheating. You can use a cast iron skillet, but I'm making a small batch this time, so I used my ancient blackened metal oblong pan.

In a bowl, mix 1 cup of yellow corn meal (no, I did not grind my own :), ¾ cup of flour, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, and 2 teaspoons of baking powder. 

Add 1 egg and 2 cups buttermilk. Stir well. 

If you don't have any buttermilk on hand, don't worry. You can use regular milk and the bread will be just as tasty and fluffy, thanks to the baking powder. Simply start with 1½ cups and add more, if needed, until mixture is just a little thinner than cake batter.

Remove hot pan from preheated oven and IMMEDIATELY pour in batter. This will “fry” the bottom, giving it a nice crispy texture. (the corner pieces are my favorite!) Return pan to oven and bake at 450 for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown. 

I like to flip mine over in the pan as soon as it comes out so the bottom will retain that crispiness I worked so hard to achieve.

On a cold day, this meal is hard to beat. Even if it's a cold day and you're short on time. It's that easy. 

You could even brown your ground beef, mix everything together in the CrockPot and let it go on low all day. Boy would your house smell good.

Now for a couple gratuitous puppy pix.

Maddie wasn't quite sure what to think about the sleet.

She'd paw at it. Dig a little bit, then jump back before pouncing on it again.

Yet for as much as she liked the sleet, she was just as happy to come inside where it was nice and warm.

(especially when there was a bowl of food waiting)

Okay, now that the Polar Vortex is paying us another visit, how cold is it at your house?

Rum cake... or is it a daiquiri cake?

Hellooooo everybody! The Fresh Pioneer is back with a tasty recipe guaranteed to warm up your January!

First, my favorite purchase (sorry, Boris, we're still getting to know each other) of the season. Mr. Coffee Latte maker. AWESOME. I'm in love. I'm going to dedicate my next book to Mr. Latte. (He needs a better name, I agree.) You put in the coffee, water, milk in the carafe, a handful of chocolate chips, and you've got hot mocha. The frother workers perfectly. And QUIETLY, which is bonus as I run up to a big deadline.
                                                              
Yeah, Me and Mr. Latte have been meeting in the kitchen, late late at night.
  My friend Mindy brought over her big book of recipes and a big bottle of... RUM. Ok, we only used about 2 TBS of the rum, so what will she do with the rest? Hmmmm, inquiring minds want to know!  Seriously, she said it would take her years to get through that bottle, which tells me she needs to make MORE RUM CAKE.

 So, recipe:
4 eggs
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
3 c flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 baking powder
1 tsp rum

 There, see? Milk, sugar, rum. That's pretty much the basis of all good recipes, right?
No? Fine...
It's the start of THIS one.

 Flour, etc.

 Vroom, vroom.
We brought out Boris. I was just telling Mindy a funny story about the time I turned the mixer on a bit too high, just after my daughter had put in the eggs. I reached around, blindly, to the other side of the mixer and flipped the switch all the way to the OFF. Except... it wasn't the right direction.
 Tip of the day, even 3 seconds at super high speed can coat your kitchen (and yourselves) in egg yolk.
As I'm telling her this story, I did the SAME THING.
  She laughed, but I'm pretty sure she was making notes to call the local brain doctor in the AM. Durrrrrrrr me. I'm going to make myself a poster to place over Boris: POWER MIXER, DO NOT EVER CHANGE SPEEDS BY TOUCH INSTEAD OF BY SIGHT

Anyway, mix the ingredients (without managing to splatter yourselves). Add rum. Sip rum. Swig rum from the bottle. (No, no, no. I have a deadline and she was driving, so no sipping or swigging allowed.)

 We made a double batch so, imagine one cake here... Pour into a greased bundt pan. Smooth the top.

Put in the oven at 350F for 90 minutes. (That's what her recipe said but we checked it at 60 minutes and it looked good, so we took it out. I think older recipes have longer cooking times to make up for cooler ovens.)

While the cake is in the pan, start poking holes in it with a knife. All over. Feel the anger and dissatisfaction in your life.

Don't have any? Congratulations. 

Now fake some. Poke, poke, poke, poke.

Now, the sauce:
1 cup sugar
1 tsp rum
1/2 cup water

Bring to a boil, 5-10 min. No tasting to "check". Therein lies madness, my friends.

Spoon the sauce over the cake, letting it soak into the holes.

 Poke, poke, poke, poke.

 Spooning, spooning, spooning.

 (One cake is right side up, and one is upside down because Mindy was headed to a party. See? That's why she's popular. She's invited to a party and she brings RUM CAKE.)

 Do not lick off the glaze. Inhale deeply, but do not lick.

 Mine is sideways. Must be the rum. Everyone's having a good time. PAR-TAY.

 I thought this was a delicious pound cake recipe with the added bonus of rum. As I was eating my (first) slice, I thought of rum and what traditionally goes into rum drinks, and had a brilliant idea.

I bought some of this to make homemade Italian sodas on New Year's Day. And I had a lot left over. Rum and lime is part of what makes a daiquiri, right? So, I added a small amount of sugared lime juice and then fresh blackberries.

MMMMM. I do think this now a daiquiri cake.

    I hope you all enjoyed this recipe and I hope that January is passing quickly for you! Here, it's dark when we get up and dark when we go to bed and grim gray day in between. Wishing you clear skies and bright sunshine!

 Meanwhile, Mr. Latte, Boris, Edna and I will look for more recipes to share. Until next time!

(Here he is, reading for pleasure. Not spinning food all over, like he seems to do when we cook together.)